Transcripts For CSPAN First Ladies Influence Image 20140114

Glamorous. Parties saw were the and the greeting people. I have got to tell you, i have never worked harder in my life. Nancy reagan was Ronald Reagans fiercest protector. She was active in key staff decisions and in campaigning. She had a signature white house issue with her just say no campaign. Welcome to first ladies influence and image. Let me introduce our two guests. Judith woodruff is the coanchor of cbsnews hour. She coproduced a documentary about the first lady. Thank you for being with us. He is a californian who has been covering National Politics since 1984 and cowrote a book with his , a reagan biography. We looked at hundreds of hours of video about the reagan presidency in the cspan library. We decided to start with the closing chapter. Funeralfootage from the when mrs. Reagan says goodbye. We thought that it symbolized the partnership they both covered. Then we will talk a little bit more about the relationship. Hard to believe it was nearly 10 years ago. As you look at that, as we have worked our way through the series, especially in the 20th century, many of the first ladies were Political Partners with her husband. Was this a particularly special partnership between the two of them . It was from the very beginning, from the sacramento days, from the hollywood days. As nancy patz the coffin, it is heartbreaking. Pats the coffin, it is heartbreaking. You imagine her patting his shoulder every night for 10 years. Nancy got a rough start in this town, and she got a rough start in sacramento. She won everyone over in the 10 years that he had alzheimers, in she took care of him. Werent her words, the people around them call them the longest goodbye. It was 1990 four when Ronald Reagan wrote that letter announcing to the world that he had alzheimers. It was not nearly as familiar to us as it is today. He would live another 10 years out of public view, but she was with him. And the closeness was with them right up until the end, and you see that in the video. In 2001, my father and i were both there. It was a cold, blustery day in april. And she said, i have to get back. He is agitated when i am not in the house. She really was his caretaker. Book talk lip lets have a book talk a little bit about what the partnership meant in terms of National Politics. What made this a successful quest for the white house . We have talked a long time about that. It was a remarkable partnership. It was a strong marriage. They loved each other deeply. It was very much a working partnership. Once it was clear that Ronald Reagan was interested in when he, and it started was the spokesman for ge, traveling around the country. He was hired by ge around 1955, somewhere in there, and from that moment all, and the friends they made decided that Ronald Reagan would be a great candidate for governor, and went , thatbe elected governor people iperson talk to call her the personnel director. Shooin sure that the people around her husband were the people she made sure that the people around her husband had his best interest at heart. We are going to show a brief lip on the cbs documentary, and she talks about what she brings to the relationship in terms of looking out for him. The first lady is another means to keep the president from being isolated. I talk to people. They tell me things. And if something is going to be a problem, i am not above calling a staff person. I make no apologies for looking out for his personal and political welfare. Your thoughts on the partnership . She said she was the personnel director. Of 1980, when they started to hit a rocky road, and the campaign was in his littler trouble, they said where stu spencer . Only back in the campaign because nancy had helped bring about. N he worked with nin Ronald Reagan, he asked when he was going back to the reagan campaign. Asked,as one person he is it ok . And that was nancy. Nancy said it was her idea. We will have more time to talk about the white house years. We are going to go back and talk about the nancy reagan bag of. Before that we will talk about how you can be involved. Your questions make it so much more interesting for us so we can take the conversation in the direction of your interest. You can see us on facebook and find cspans page. Even also tweet is at first ladies. You can also use the good old phone. We will get the calls and probably about 10 minutes or so. Lets go back to where she was born, in 1981. Her early days were not easy. It was not the smooth the childhood. Her mother was an actress. Her father was a salesman. She was born in new york city. The marriage between them did not last very long. Nancy was around two years old when they divorced. Her mother really wanted her acting career, and she wanted a safe place for nancy. Had nancy, until she was remarried, with nancys on to outside of washington. Nancy lived in what was then a suburban neighborhood. The woman who was described as very different from her mother. Her mother was very outgoing, was the life of the party, was in the middle of every conversation. Her aunt was much more quiet. The rules were fairly strict. Nancy herself talk about it. She talked in the interview in the documentary about how she missed her mother, and she would be thrilled with her mother came to visit. Years. As rocky for a few what changed for nancy when her mother remarried . Money. E was mari he was successful. She went to Smith College. He was the parent she had lacked. For most of her life, that is the man she called her father. They give her an idea of what a family could be. Forward, she had an idea of what she would like to be, and what she wanted out of life. And she wanted to build a family that was the family she didnt have. That was something that she and reagan had in common. She went to hollywood. She went to the theater, and then she went back to hollywood. Steady cast as the woman. That is what she was. Didnt did nancy reagan and know each other as students at Smith College . I would have to ask. Do you know . Nancy was leaving as barbara bush was coming in. She was only there a year or two, so i dont think so. That is a good question. We know that nancy went to new york to try acting right out of smith. She lived in europe for two years before she went to hollywood. New york for two years before she went to hollywood. She had a contact at mgm studios. A question about her stepfather and the influence on her politics. Dr. Davis was very active in conservative areas. Did that influence her . Reagan,arried ronald and on their first date, reagan was discussing politics. And hes talking about communism. He didnt like communism. To his receptive message. How did they meet . It is an interesting story this is hollywood in the late thes when there was communist scare. It was after the end of world war ii. People were named for being somehow associated with the communist party. Nancy davis, which was her name at the time, showed up on a blacklist. And that was as someone who was in hollywood that was part of the communist party. She wanted to get her name off. She told her good friend, who i believe was a producer, she said how can i get this done . They said Ronald Reagan as the president of the. She said, as soon as i knew that, i knew who Ronald Reagan was. Up. Id, absolutely, call him and i would be glad to meet with him. He said he would be glad to talk to her about this. And then one thing led to another. She really tells a funny story about how they both agreed to go to dinner but insisted it had to be an early evening because they had an early call, which neither one of the actually did. Doesnt work out, you can ended in a civil way, right . But they didnt ended early because they didnt have anywhere to be the next morning. That was 1941. When did he marry . 1952. So they had a threeyear courtship. You will be seeing some video of people telling the story of nancy and Ronald Reagan. Their earlyt relationship and the love letters they shared. They asked if it was love at first sight. She said, it might not have been, but it was pretty dark close. She was a very sentimental woman. She kept mementos of the relationship. Artifacts are on display in the museum, and a document how important they were to each other. One of the things that we have in here, which is very symbolic of their intense relationship, is a letter the president reagan 1953 whenis wife in he was in new york, and he wrote a very charming letter to her. He wrote it as if she had actually joined him at dinner. You can see how creative you was. The final page of the letter is very touching. Lets take a look at that page, along with some of the other artifacts in the collection. This is that fourth page of the letter. It is where president reagan expresses his heartfelt feelings to his wife. This was written in 1953, about 1. 5 years after they were married. He says, i suppose some people would find it unusual that you and i can so easily stand 3000 miles. Truth, man cannot live without a heart, and you are my heart. You are the nicest thing about me and so very necessary. There would be no life without anybody. Would i want signed, the eastern half of us. Mrs. Reagan give us this little box that held precious keepsakes of hers. Her nancy reagan received undressing room when she was mgmr contract to and jim , Ronald Reagan went to a jeweler and had a special key made for her. It had an image of a thespian on the front and on the back. She thought that was such a nice idea that two years later, after they were married and they bought their first home, she had keys made for their first home. And there is little house on the top. And theyre both engraved with their initials. Key, right above ouritials it says, first. They were married in 1952, and their daughter was born in 1952. Shed been getting some roles fairly steadily. And his career was the one that was stalling out at that point. Then the ge offer came along. She became a homemaker. She did a few television homes in the shows in the first decade of the marriage. Mother his wife, and the of patty, and i think years later ron junior was born. Her family was her life, and she devoted all of her time to that. Those are great story that once he went to work for ge, ge had an all electric house built for them, which had every imaginable special feature in it. Drape closures. That we of things wouldnt think was a big deal today. But it was a big deal then. She became much closer to the wives who were influential. And Ronald Reagan brought two children to the marriage, maureen and michael reagan. By the time they came onto the National Stage first as governor of california, and then, of course, in the white house years, there were suggestions that there were tensions the tween the kids. One of our viewers refers to this. Ask, what is the relationship between the kids and stepson now . We have a documentary that talks about the reagan partnership and the effect on children. Lets listen to Ronald Reagan talk about life inside the Ronald Reagan household from his perspective. We were conscious of things growing up. I was. There were really two sets of people, to definite and distinct sets of people involved in the family. There was my mother and father, and there was everybody else. And while we were all part of the family, when push came to shove, there was a distinction to be made. , be seen and not heard, but it was you know, we were expected to put ourselves in second place to whatever they were doing. What can you add to this part of the story . Ron reagan junior, the family calls and stepper skipper, and he tells the story about emotional distance. He said there are two kinds of fathers. Theres a kind of looks up the window and sees a kid playing football, and has to go out there again, and theres the kind that goes back to his work. His dadnt on he said was the kind of cannot played with the kids. You find yourself wondering, what was there beef . You keep hearing about this emotional distance that reagan had with his children. But he played ball with all of them. He was very involved. In his own mind he was a family man first. He separated people. Jim eyman left him, so he didnt want to be divorced. Michael writes about it years later when michael admits he was abused by camp counselor. Said the guy felt his pain, and reagans eyes kind of glazed over. There was this emotional distance that was subtle that everybody talks about. Sometimes people would blame nancy. Dad,ancy, she once told my after they left the white house, you can get joseph r with romney, and then something happens. It took him a long time you can get so far with ronnie, and then something happens. It took him a long time to trust me. On twitter there is this question, todays hollywood is decidedly liberal. Nancysld and conservatism unusual in 1950s hollywood . I do not know that in the right person to ask. There were other conservative women in the community. Supported Ronald Reagan and his captaincy candidacy, were people not in the movie industry. Stewart and jimmy people like that. I would not say that the conservatives were necessarily in the extreme minority, but they probably were not the majority. Most of the people in hollywood for democrats. There is an interesting story about that. When reagan runs against pat brown, a popular twoterm , pat thought it would be wise to run. Actor,d say, he is an the way he would say, hes an idiot. Ple would say, why is a why is this a Winning Strategy . Thepeople were proud of movie industry. People were criticizing him for being an actor, and jack palance was there. They said, you can criticize this guy, but dont make fun of them because he is an actor. They said, he is one of us. And they were proud of him. We will take phone calls and then learn more about the Governors Mansion in california. You are a first color tonight. Tonight. Library,at the reagan and i recommend it to everybody, whether you agree with their politics or not. I was struck by the omission. I was wondering what the dynamic was between the reagans and jane. I thought it was odd that there was one little line. Obviously, mrs. Reagan was in control of the president ial library. I was wondering if you had any insight on that. I really appreciate the program. Thank you so much. I do not think we know very much about that. His first wife. And they were part of the family after ronald and jane wyman divorced. Carl, what about you . Reagan felt her by what it happened in a marriage. N never gavea interviews. I think she was just as well to not be made a spectacle of. Theirs not part of political story. She was part of their personal story. Keith is an illinois. Hi, keith. You are on. Thank you for taking my call. I heard somewhere that nancy was really into astrology, and things of that sort. Is it true that she held seances in the white house . Our caller made the same mistake. But nancy did consult an astrologer after Ronald Reagan was shot. She did so because she was desperate for anything, anything she could have. She did not have much control of the schedule, so she consulted an astrologer. Book that came out. There was a mild embarrassment. Many people thought that she was so traumatized that if she wanted to consult astrologer she was well within her rights. Jordan is in pennsylvania. Hi, jordan. My grandmother has the same birth day as nancy reagan. She was born july 6, 1920. She lived to be almost 100 when she was in the white Nancy Reagans mother lived to be almost 100 when she was in the white house . I do not remember. Do remember when she was around for the inauguration . 1921 was actually herbert bate. Her birth date. This helps us with the transition from the ge years, to politics, and ultimately, to the governorship of california. Did nancy personally like politics, or did she learn to like it is she loved ronnie . She did not love politics, and she was not built for politics. It was on the job training, and it wasnt always easy. , andidnt like the town the town reciprocated. She was asked to move into the Governors Mansion, which was a victorian structure downtown, if i remember. I went to high school and Junior High School delvin. Down there. It was the second floor bedroom, and the screen was rusted shut. How does he get out in case of fire . He was supposed to run, pop up the screen, and climbed on a rope ladder. Nancy decided they were going to live there, and they moved to east sacramento. I have an answer to jordans question. In 1987, shoes to was alive for most of that time gas so she was alive for most of that time in the white house. So she was alive for most of that time in the white house. I want to get a couple bullet points down. Criticized for not wanting to live in the Governors Mansion. She was critical of Ronald Reagan, governor reagans staff. She was criticized by the press for her glamorous lifestyle. And she had a number of issues, including veterans. Those were many of the same things. Interesting, isnt it . Criticism. Like the she is specially didnt like the criticism of her husband, and she talked about that. Easy,was not going to be but she underestimated how much the press and it does everywhere be critical of politicians everywhere. She had to develop an even weaker skin thicker skin. They looked at her choice of causes. And she and the press had a testy relationship. In beverly hills, and sacramento did not have stores like that. She was used to cool breezes. Sacramento gets hot. And mostly, she hated the sacramento bee. It was a very democratic newspaper. Theirere relentless in criticism. She canceled the subscription. People asked reagan about this. He said, it is ok, i get it in my office. She took care of him in washington. In those years, she was a little that brittle. That was a very her story , you knowf the gaze we all talked about that. It was an adoring gaze that she gave reagan. They thought it was funny. We learned over the years that it was not funny. It mightve been a knowing, but it was genuine. Reagan protected her in this time. She treated the staff like service. Think, inse things, i those years, she had the rough edges. Reagan had to smooth them off. She learned how to be a political spouse. She learned that there were great moments when you fill terrific and appreciated. Then there are the really tough moments. It prepared her for the presidency. She also had these causes. There was a lecture series, i guess it was in 1994. I watched it recently. He is a first lady biographer. You mentioned that arent veterans. She helped get reagan interested in pows. The other thing about sacramento that you notice were the crowds that came up in washington. She had to do it a lot because the children and grandchildren of her friends were starting to have these issues, and she saw that when her governor husband was governor of california. Answered that question. Lets move to a phone call. Duncan in ohio. Thank you. Ronald reagan was a member of the bohemian grove. Ideascy reagan express about that did nancy reagan express ideas about that . All i can tell you about that is that it is meant only. We should say that. Men only. We should say that. They walked in the woods naked, and did all kinds of things. Between nancyll and him, and the papers are being released. I am inferring that she didnt mind. This is a much too long and political story to be told about , mountinggans career his president ial talents one year later. What was nancys role in encouraging Ronald Reagan to seek to challenge against gerald ford . There was a group of men, andal republican nancy was very Close Friends with their wives. I am simplifying it, to some extent. There was a larger circle of people. It wasnt just this group of men who had their i am Ronald Reagan. There were people around the country who thought he would be an effective spokesperson of the conservative cause, as the ge spokesman. Ronald reagan gave a much, nonspeech commented on speech. That was the big comingout speech for Ronald Reagan. All of those disparate forces came together while he was still in the governors office. And more or less, in that youre after, when gerald ford was election, and he had , of course, succeeded richard was on theld reagan public consciousness as a very appealing conservative challenge to gerald ford. Remember, he had run a in 1968 for president. I have a story about nancy in the earliest conversation. Maureen was writing her dad letters. The raleighs letters back and forth. She is trying to encourage him to run for there were all these letters back and forth. Shes is trying to encourage him to run for governor. It does, you could be governor. Talkid, if we want to about what i could be, i could be president. This was in 1964 or 1965. So they decided to do this intervention. Nancy was on the side of her stepfather stepdaughter. Like, itid something is to against one. They are against me. That is how involved nancy was in the earliest conversations. That was unsuccessful. Aere was a discussion of candidacy that went nowhere. How did they spend the next years till the campaign . They organize for the serious run. That one popped up spontaneously, but after 1976, thatRonald Reagan showed he had substantial support in the Republican Party, from then on it was an allout effort to win the nomination in 1982 when the white house. People but he would be a shoe in. There were other republicans running. Some people were saying he was too conservative. Some were saying he was a warmonger. I coveredople the carter white house, in those years. People its a, he is the one who has his finger on the bomb. There was a lot of this rhetoric flying around. , by no means, a walkin for him. He had the people. He had the money. They were out in california. And he was the nominee in waiting for four years. The only thing that is remotely like what is going on with Hillary Clinton, to be honest with you. They are not just going to hand it to her, but he had the money. He had the support. The Republican Party was in transition. And it was going to be Ronald Reagans party. That it was true, and she turn out to be right. Lets fastforward here. Are we going to slowly . It was a landslide against jimmy carter. Much of that was colored by the iranian hostage situation. That was coming to a common nation on Inauguration Day. Would you spend just a minute talking about that unbelievable Inauguration Day, when the country was waiting for the hostages to come home, and it happened right then . Time,was extraordinary run the perspective of the carter white house. I covered jimmy carter, and they had a painful final year of presidency. They had been taken into tehran and were being held by iranian extremists. Things, among other about the commission where the helicopter went down. It was a humiliating episode in the carter presidency. Not the onlyas reason jimmy carter lost the election, but it was a factor. Mood in thethe country about the change in leadership . On Inauguration Day reagan came up with a plan, and the plan was, remember the hostages were being released. All of this was being done deliberately by the iranians. They thought they would be in airspace while reagan was still speaking, and the plan that they agreed on was that reagan would call carter up to the lectern. But that would only be of the hostages were released, and they would announce it together. I asked, what did nancy think this . She had a good theatrical sense too. It she was all for it. Didnt happen. But it was not carter or reagans fault. Attemptednckley Ronald Reagans life at the washington hilton. We had an interview with nancy library, the reagan and she spoke to us about that day. We got downstairs i said, im going to the hospital. He said, it is not necessary. George, you either get the car or in going to walk im going to walk. We went to the hospital. Hospitalmet me at the and said, he has been shot. And there were police all around. And there was a lot of noise. And they put me a little small firm. Room. There was one desk and one chair. That was it. I kept wanting to see ronnie. Saying, well, he is all right. But you cant see them. And i can sing, if he is all right, why cant i see him . And i kept saying, if he is all right, why cant i see them . Finally, they let me in. He had machines to help him breathe. And said, honey, i forgot to duck. How did this impact a brand new presidency . I was a part of the press pool that day. It was a time i will never ever forget. She was all ready completely focused on him and his safety, but after this, it was her sole purpose, you could argue. At one point she said something like, when he left to go somewhere, i wasnt able to breathe deeply until he came back. That was in the movie. It was something she said in the documentary to us. Forology, she was looking any which way she could. She was grilling people around him to make sure that he was always doing whatever was the safest possible thing. It made her even more determined to keep them healthy. That,t one comment about honey, i forgot to duck, that nancy said. That was a famous line. It was the wind that jack dempsey used after he lost the heavyweight championship. His face was all battered. And he says, honey, i forgot to duck. The line was reported in the newspapers, at the time. It may dempsey the hero he had not been in the publics mind, until the time. I think the same thing is true of reagan. That line was reported in the press here. Admired reagany for it, because they realized what he was trying to do, which was reassure his wife. Run of reagan really entered himself to the American Public and Ronald Reagan really injured himself to the American Public. Was a difficult debut for the first lady. What were some of the reasons why it was a challenging first year . As in california, where she home, agovernors governors mentioned that she felt was unsafe, she felt that the white house was in disrepair. She felt there were repairs that needed to be done. She said the furnishings were shattered. She wanted a complete renovation and refurbishing. She wanted new drapes and new upholstery. She wanted to get this done. Often, i loved entertaining. I thought that was an important part of being a white house. It was a way to connect with people. She said, we didnt even have the right china. She raise the money to buy a set of china. She was also very interested in style and fashion. Choose is a person who cared about her appearance. She was a woman who cared about her appearance. She got a new set of china. And there was a publicity about othes, and it was the image of a woman who cared more about things that did not matter. And it did not go over well. That contributed to the public view. What was the difference between Jacqueline Kennedy coming in wearing national, fashionable, european design and nancy reagan doing it, not that long after . That is a fair question. Nancy thought it would be a fair new start for, but it was deja vu all over again. They criticized her for going shopping at bloomingdales. Case. Jackie was a special there is an edgy website. I dont frequent it very often. It is called nerve. Com. It is about sex and younger people stuff. I was there to see they ranked the sexiest first ladys in history. Nancy reagan ranks very high. I was very surprised that this hip, young website up that. Jacqueline kennedy, they dont even need to clean up. They just showed her picture. Jackie did things that no one else could do. Do have a comment on the difference . It was a different time. It was the 1960s. It was camelot. There is a difference in age. There is a difference in appearance. A lot of people were very divisive between john f. Kennedy and richard nixon. That was a time when a lot of americans were excited. It was a different time. It was 20 years later. The country was getting a little cynical. It was had gone through watergate. The press corps was not as willing to just follow and accept whatever the president and first lady were doing. Ina call from michael pennsylvania. You are on. Thank you. Great show. Was there a position or ideology that they sometimes disagreed upon, or that the staff disagreed upon . Thank you. Were there any issues at the reagans did not see eye to eye on . Not that i know of. But the staff, absolutely. There was open warfare on many issues. Iran contra. Nancy would push. Nancy at a point of view, and she would push. On the soviet union, she believed strongly in negotiating mikhailgorbachev gorbachev. She had his agenda at heart. You have to think about this. Differences. Nancy knew her reagan was. In 1976. Ere gerald ford called reagan up to the stage. What does he talk about . Nuclear war. Armageddon. Was whatthat that reagan wanted, and she pushed in that direction. She pushed against aids who did not know what reagan wanted. Aides who did not know what reagan wanted. She wanted him to be the best man he could be and that the best legacy. They didnt disagree. There is no question that she worked very hard behindthe the secretary of state to make sure that president reagan was listening to those who were on his side. Aids is an issue that has,. There were people in the white house who thought he should speak out. Early on, there were people who didnt want him to speak out. Of those on the side who wanted him to talk about it. He talked about it in 1985 and 1986. Nancy did not trust that the white house policy shot would say what he wanted to say. Someone who would come back and write the speeches. I would say, this is how she wanted. The first lady was having trouble with her image in the press corps. And there were approaches to help change that. One of those came in 1982, with an event in washington dc. Nancy reagan. Before the club, which was full of charities. And it was a game changer. We will listen to her talking about that in a 1988 interview with journalist heather smith. She will talk about her charity and why she approached the issues this way. Secondhand clothes, they are all the rage at the spring fashion shows. There were for collars that ronnie bought for . 10 on the dollar. Old handmedowns. The china is the only thing that is new. Even though they tell me im no queen, that, ronnie has to buy me the new sewing machine, secondhand, secondhand i hope that he sows. I came around to, ok, well, we will try. It could not be worse than it was. Theyaid, originally, thought that i would make fun of the press. And i said, no. No. No. I am not going to do that. This is way we can do if i make fun of myself, if i make fun of myself. A 5050be i will have chance here. As you well know, that first year was not, nobody was really crazy about me. And i dont think i would have been crazy about me, reading what i did about me. And i really dont know why because it started before he got here. They did not know me. I never did quite figure out why. , until i read in your book, that they were having meetings about me over the west wing, that i was a liability and everything like that. I guess maybe i was. I was pretty gun shy. It had been rough. Inclination is to run and hide in a closet and lock yourself in. You tend to pull back. I do, anyway, when it is that rough. That is the wrong thing to do. You shouldnt do that, but i do. She was very self aware there. Her instincts were exactly right on. She had selfdeprecating humor. She made fun of her self. The press ate it up. It turned an important corner for her. Another thing that nancy reagan did was the antidrug campaign, which became the just say no campaign. How political was this . First ladies are supposed to have a signature issue, and this is something she cared about and know about. This was a phrase in the anti Drug Movement among psychologist, just say no, and then cc on it and popularized it. Seized on it and popularized it. They criticized her because it was simplistic. She said, if it saves one life, it is worth it. People use amongst young did decline. I do not know if it was a result of this campaign. She also had other recognition in the united nations. She was the first lady to do that. She was the first first lady recognized by the president in a state of the union address. 1986 the two of them, this was another first, a set down to talk about the antidrug effort. We will talk about the use of television to connect the American Public. Lets watch. To those watching and listening, i have a personal message for you. There is a big, Wonderful World out there for you that belongs to you. It is exciting and stimulating. Dont cheat yourself out of this promise. It needs you to be clear eyed and clear minded. I recently read one teenagers story. She is now determined to stay clean. She was most struck out on every she was strung out on every judge. What she remembers about her drug. Ry on every what she remembers about her recovery is that after her treatment she was able to see colors again. Open your eyes to life. That godivid colors gave us as a present to his children to enjoy life to the fullest and to make it count. Say yes to your life. Toen it comes to your drugs, most of all, just say no. Nancyhink you can see why has been such a positive influence on what we are trying to do. Crusade, likeal that of so many wonderful individuals, should become our national crusade. A conversation has been how white houses use the media. Acting within their profession, and television was in their ascendancy. How did they use it . People toss about reagan was an actor, but she was an actor to. She had 12 feature films. They used it as easily as you and i would pick up the telephone and call a friend. She talking about color, and she is wearing a red just. She understood how the message should go with the pictures. It was almost Second Nature to them both. I want to move to the second term in the white house. Again, there were sony issues. Brief, some of them inc. Again there were so many issues. In brief, some of them included the iran contra affair. Iraqhere was the iran war. Become a positive Political Force in the white house and the second term . Was always very careful in her dealings with the press. She has a presence about her. Boys and she was able to se and she was able to communicate in a way that was helpful to the white house. The second term was very different than the first term. They both learned a lot by then. We know president second terms can be rough. The problems came and theyve asked you listed several of them. Hi, lucy from wisconsin. Back to theion goes Jackie Kennedy, nancy reagan episode with both of them having the same interest in changing the white house. I sent such a double standard with the press. I have no problem with the press reporting, i have a problem with the president shaking the image. Kennedys lot about the but they gave them a free pass on many issues. Reagan apartancy and i felt that was a bit unfair. I dont know if that will have her change that will ever change. I just wanted it and wanted to know if you could dress that. I do think it was a different time. We talked about this a few minutes ago, but i do believe the country and the press corps were more accepting of politicians, president s. Look at what we now know jack kennedy was doing part of the time. The press did not report on that. Later, we had been, the country had been through watergate, vietnam. Many more questions about whether our leaders were telling the truth and i think that was a much greater reluctance to believe our eyes. I dont mean me but i mean the presss eyes. There were some criticisms we style about the sense of she brought to the white house and whether that was appropriate for the time. They use the white house to promote the political agenda as most president s have. We are going to show you a little bit of how the Reagan Library was like her style. Nancy reagan knew how important it was for her to dress appropriately. From the gown is second inaugural. There was a matching dress underneath and it was designed from one of her favorite designers that design for her during her white house years. This dress is her lucky dress. She wore this when she attended the National Republican convention in 1980 when her husband was nominated to become president. She always loved it. It was designed by adolfo. She wore it quite a bit. It was one of her favorites. 1985,e the five, in flew to geneva to meet with gorbachev. Mrs. Reagan wore this suit to that meeting. This suit was designed by james cona. One of the truly most classic dresses that she wore and colors that she wore is exemplified in this portrait dress. She warred for her official portrait, but she also bore to a number of other events. It is quite elegant and stunning. Use want to ask about their of the white house for entertaining. How did they use them . They use them strategically. They like entertaining. Having come from hollywood, the social life was important to them. Nancy reagan herself talks about this and when i interviewed her she said, this is an opportunity to play host to a visiting head of state. And whoevernybody the hollywood stars at the time from Frank Sinatra to elizabeth taylor. Come. Vite and you that is true today for any president but the reagans were very conscious of that and conscious that they could impress their guests. She also said, you could get Business Done on those occasions. Social that there also business. Oftenhave learned is so that on the diplomatic stage of personal relationships could have very important effects. What was important to note about these two couples . Reagan thought he could do business with gorbachev. He brought his number one ally to the summit. The speeches kept getting changed. Anita black thinks credits nancy for helping reagan pushed back. There was another man who was the soviet expert. Reagan cap saying kept say ing, i can do business with this guy. He took nancy there as an ally but twothe world couples could get along and maybe the two countries could get along. Traditiontinued the of live events from the white house. She introduced the public to some of the musicians and other cultural events. That is a tradition that continues to this day. Ago, the obamas hosted one of these. I think Jackie Kennedy started this. Floyd is in california. Are you there . About how question did the reagans indirect interact with Prince Charles and Princess Diana when they went to visit the white house in 1985 . You have any memories of that . I dont remember. I know everybody in the world who wanted to be at the white house probably wanted to be at that dinner. Lets move on because our time is going short to an event that became very important in the disposition of the white house. From the perspective of the first lady, this was a real crisis in confidence for the presidency. What was Nancy Reagans role in counseling the president . She thought it was a threat. She did two things. She doubled down on the negotiation on getting reagan to negotiate with gorbachev. She encouraged that because she thought that would be better way to change the conversation. I have thing she did not mentioned it a lot on the show but i should my father was reagans biographer. Of the one and only lou cannon. Hehe told me recently that thought the most important contribution nancy made was pushing on reagan to make the apology on irancontra. It may have saved his presidency. He had that funny speech. It took him a while. Period whenonizing the president did not want to recognize this was taking place. Happened and i didnt i cant believe it happened. It was a convoluted explanation but he did say that it was a mistake and that broke the ice and the American People turned at that point. We are talking about the image and influence of the first lady. This was a key moment. She had many contributions. We were talking earlier about the dinner in 1982 but people reagan at the986, white house Correspondents Dinner is joking about nancys influence. Regan she and don nancys, don regan and had a lunch and they each brought their tasters. By the second term, nancys influence is acknowledged on the staff and policy. She did not acknowledge it as much as others did but it was very much there. 1987, nancy reagan was diagnosed with cancer. She talked about it and handled it with grace. This was another event that your the public to her because she was able to talk about it. And made mastectomy it. By no means was this something that was easy to go through with the fact that she could talk about it at a time where it was still hush hush. Betty ford had been through her own episode but i think for nancy reagan to do this we will hear one last piece of nancy reagan and her own voice looking at her role as a guardian of Ronald Reagan and the white house. This is her talking about her political antenna. I had little antennas that pointed up when somebody had their own agenda and not ronnies. I would tell him. He wouldnt always agree with me but i tell him. What was the first thing you notice when somebody had their own agenda . You just know. You have those antennas. Visible antennas were probably directed to don regan who ultimately lost his job and some of that was over the disagreement over the irancontra. Situation. What did we learn through the relationship about the relationship . He wanted to get back to her and the astrology thing was a poisonous arrow in the quiver. They had different ideas about what reagan shouldve been doing. She listened. She was a careful listener. She tried to get george h. W. Of don help her get rid regan and he told her it was not his job. Was talking to the Vice President of the United States and told him it was his job. Later when bush was running for president , he said he would promise to a kinder and gentler country. Friend, kinder and gentler to whom . She was instrumental earlier in the presidency and the removal of William Clark because she felt he took to heart a line against the soviets. She was not the only one but she played a big role. She demonstrated her political antenna on behalf of her husband and her influence inside that white house. She was a personnel director. January 1989, they turn over the white house to reagans Vice President. We have about 15 minutes to talk about a very long post presidency. Market fairly soon with the announcement of president reagans alzheimers. Before that, this memoir came out. This was an agent in 1989 so clearly she was working on it during the latter part of the white house years. My turn is the name of it. Her turn at what . She talked about some of these aides. She told her side of the story but the book does not have any surprising revelations in it. Not really if you knew about her. She talks about how she supported the president. You might say she wanted it both ways. But if youy powerful crossed her, you would feel it, but if you said she was powerful, she would think you were dissing reagan. The opening of the Reagan Library at that time. How did the reagans raise the money for the library and how did they use the library . They went to their friends, many of whom gave a lot of money. They went through other foundations. They work very hard through mrs. Reagan and initially to the president before became l he became ill. This is telling Ronald Reagan story but today it is seen as a way of maintaining his legacy. The Republican Party today, Ronald Reagan is still very much a revered figure as his nancy reagan. Of telling is part what Ronald Reagan did as president , what he believed in, but also perpetuating some of those views. They hold seminars, speecehes. Speakers come and talk about contra. It is a beautiful setting right there on the california coast. Philip is watching us in brooklyn. Thank you. Let me say at the outset, i just love mrs. Reagan. First i have to say is i watch every episode of this series and how nice it was to find out that nancy was not the first lady the first first lady that wanted to bring new style into the white house. I was very happy to hear there were other ladies that wanted to do that as well. It didnt go on for weeks or months. The china story went on for years. The media really went after her. Whoof nancys good friends was an expert at protocol. Such an expert that the queen of england were fertile her for consultation. Nancy have friends like her that were poised and i think nancy when you have that much poise and grace, you are going to have sons enemies some enemies. Everyone at House Administration very closeknit circle of friends but it seems like the reagans had many, many years of loyal supporters and i was reaganng how did mrs. Cultivate all of those people that were so loyal to her and her husband . She was a perfect size to for the record two for the record. Or zero. On her importance in keeping that circle of of advisors together. It was a little different wooden reagan and nancy. He was a beloved conservative leader. Along e that comes he is like roosevelt and that respect. People love what he stands for. Nancy situation was a little different. People love her. She has these lifelong friends and she treats them well. Sense, it wasat never about if she was never in politics, she wouldve been an admirable person the way she cap friends kepts friends. They left the white house in january 1989 and it was five 1994 that hein announced that he had alzheimers. Ars andas a period of ye you can add a few years after that when he was communicating and recognizing her. The point came in the late 1990s when she was telling people he did not recognize her. 1991, at the 80th birthday of reagan, it was held at the library and reagan got up and spoke. He spoke slowly about bacher thatcher. He turned to nancy and he said his life began when he met her and it was rich and full ever sent. There was a time when they left the white house that it was magical for them. Gave she she talked about alzheimers and the effect on her. What have you learned about this disease . It is probably the worst disease you can never have. Why . You lose contact and you are not able to share all those wonderful memories that we have. Life. A wonderful can you have a conversation that makes sense to you . Not now. Now. , what wereer itself the circumstances in which he wrote the letter . I was with them and we were in the library. He sat down and wrote it. That was it. First draft . First draft. He crossed that one or two words in there. I dont know what that was. Write a letterld like that. Devoted once his illness became debilitating, she devoted her life to being his caretaker. Anasionally she would make entrance to the public arena. You state in touch with her. What is her own explanation of postwhited her house years and when she decided to become public about issues that matter to her . It was all about pushing and preserving her husbands legacy. It was all about Ronald Reagan, the man that was at the center of her life for 65 years until his death. Her interests i think you were going to bring this up in Stem Cell Research even when it was not a popular thing in the Republican Party was all about its connection to alzheimers. She had friends with juvenile diabetes. It was believed that we need to do much more with Stem Cell Research than the u. S. Had been doing. She lobbied president george 2000s whenearly this was an issue. Against the party, she called members of congress. She was a fierce advocate. She made speeches for it. You could trace everything she withone since then something that has to do with what her husband did or alzheimers. In terms of party politics, in 1996, she was at the convention in san diego. She got involved in the mccain president ial efforts by endorsing him. When had she chosen to be involved with the Republican Party politics and why . She knew john mccain. The reagans are one of the first couples that mccain went to. Another onehat as of nancys friendships in which she was loyal. Not be now if you are entering the arena, we would not think of her as a right wing of the Republican Party. We would think of her as a moderate republican. Were there any other social interest social issues she was interested in . She was very strategic about it. Peopleks with a team of who are very involved in this issue. They planned way ahead about where they can use nancy, where can she go to make a speech, who can she call to get it done . She was effective. Kim is in california. You are on. I love your show. I was wondering what charities are groups or groups is nancy reagan part of at this time . Alreadye shared this but i have spoken with antireagan over the telephone today. Nancy reagan over the telephone. Is every bit of stats every bit as smart as she has been. As much not get around as he used it appeared that think her ability to get out in public and do the kinds of things she did for many years, that is limited. She still can get out and does what it is not as much. She is 92 years old and she is not as active in public but she still follows what is going on. She follows the news. She may be even watching this tonight. Is an avid follower of what is going on in american politics and american life. She released a statement about the reagan spokesman. We just showed a picture of nancy reagan with michelle obama. Where there first ladies that she had a relationship with . Do we know . I dont. She overlapped with barbara bush because they were Vice President and president at the same time. The reagans left washington after. They were not around in washington during the bush presidency and before that, they were not in washington. She has been available to other first ladies. You just saw her photograph with michelle obama. That laura bush and president george w. Bush software from simon time from time to time. She has been focused she was focused on her husband when he was alive and since then on her life in california. Justin is in indiana. Thank you for taking my call. You touched on it earlier about the special relationship the between Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. I wanted to know what was nancys relationship to the thatchers . Do we have a woman would we have a woman president in our country . She invited Margaret Thatcher to the Birthday Party of reagan. Womann president a president . It was a statement. He may not have to wait that long. We have about four minutes left and it is important for us to put a cap on this. What is important to my do you think, to know about nancy the role of first ladys and her contribution to the reagan presidency . I think it is what we have been saying. Been ladies have long close to their husbands, have paid close attention to politics. I think nancy reagan took that to a new level. She wanted touch be sitting in cabinet meetings or policymaking meetings. She was very aware of her husband and wanted him to be successful and was ready to act. To make sure that the people around him were serving his best therests and letting him be best person that he could be. Exerted way, she tremendous influence because she would move that mountain to make sure her husband was protected. You called president reagan a movement president. How should the public view Nancy Reagans role as first lady . She was the personnel chief. No personnel chief has ever slept with the president. She was more influenced she had more influence. She was a very modern first lady in that sense. That she todld judy did her best to make sure he could do his best. I was thinking about that this morning. She once said that reagan valleys. Heights to she would make sure they would go up to the mountains. She went with him and didnt metaphorically. She was a eheight, not a valley. She likened his move l ightened his mood. Going to listen to president reagans answer to that question. In a 1988 tribute to nancy reagan that happen in conjunction with the Gop Convention in that year, he talked about her and that is how we are going to close our program. Let me say thanks to both the you for being here tonight to tell the story of nancy reagan. We appreciate it. Now president reagan in his own words about nancy reagan. What do you say about someone who gives your life meaning . What do you say about someone who was always there with support and understanding . Someone who make sacrifices so that your life will be easier and more successful. What you say is that you love that person and you treasure her. [applause] i simply cant imagine the last eight years without nancy. The presidency would have been the joy it has been for me without herbicide may her beside me. That second floor living quarters wouldve been a lonely spot without her waiting for me everyday at the end of the day. She once said that a president has all kinds of advisers and who look after his interest when it comes to Foreign Policy or the economy or whatever. Me one who looks after with the needs of a human being. Nancy has done that tfor me. Every president should be so lucky. [applause] i think it is all too common in marriages that no matter how many how much partners love each other, they dont thank each other enough. I suppose i dont think nancy enough for all that she does for me. Nancy, and fun of all your friends here today that me say thank you for all you do. Thank you for your love and thank you for just being you. [applause] next week are first lady series continues with the light of barbara bush. The 41st president when she was 16 years old and married him at age 19. She would later become the mother of two governors and a future president. Her main cause was literacy. Her book raised 1 million for foundation. Join our discussion on the life of barbara bush next monday at 9 p. M. Eastern right here on cspan as well as cspan3 and cspan radio. Along with the white house assist oracles Association White houses association, we are including a book. For theailable discounted price of 12. 95 plus shipping. Visit our series website. We have special second sections. That is that cspan. Org firstladies. We bring Public Affairs events from washington directly to you. Putting you in the room at congressional hearings, white house events, read things and conferences, and offering complete gaveltogavel coverage of the u. S. House. We are cspan. Created by the tv industry 35 years ago and funded by your local cable or satellite provider. Watch us in hd. Follow us on twitter. Cspan,g up tonight on a senator talks about her repose was to assess working families. Paul ryan onwed by the war on poverty. Later are first ladys Program Featuring the life of nancy reagan. The senator spoke about her proposal to help working families including paid family medical leave, hiram dimon wage a higher minimum wage. She spoke at the social mobility summit for about 40 minutes. Good morning. Feelingveryone is bright and cheery this morning. It is sunny and reasonable venture a reasonable temperature again. I am a codirector of the center for children and families here at brookings. Invited we invited a group of experts from around the country to join us first annual summit on social mobility in the United States. It was organized by my colleague richard reeves. We are delighted to have so many wonderful experts here to talk about this issue all day. If we are going to put social mobility on the agenda in the United States and figure out what to do about it, we need help from people in public life. Have a tremendous honor to someone with us today to begin to help us address these questions. Gil or jill a brand brandt was first assigned by the governor after Hillary Clinton left her post. She was elected on her own in 2010 for a sixyear term. She has worked on all kinds of issues. Andve read her biography there are so many there that i cannot begin to list them alls. I think she is best known for her advocacy of ending Sexual Assault in the military. Her people have referred to as the next Hillary Clinton. Reid, very uncharacteristically, was referred to her as the hottest member of the democratic caucus. Senator reidne saying that but evidently he did. As the mother of two Young Children and one of only 20 women in the senate, she is especially focused on the needs of women and families. Womenseves the movement she believes the Womens Movement has stalled out and want to see at least half of all senate needs and half of all got over governorships be women in the future. I want to endorse that goal. I would also add that i would like to see a woman president of the United States before i die. Maybe it will be you, senator. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to brookings. I speak for all of us when i say we are looking forward to your remarks. [applause] leadershipu for your am proposing todays forum. It will be a very interesting conversation. I want to thank the brookings institutes for bringing us altogether to talk about a topic that is vital to the future of this country and talk about some fresh ideas to get more and working families the opportunity they need to achieve their potential. Last week marked the 15th anniversary of president Lyndon Johnsons declaration of an allout war against poverty ushering in a new era of commitment to security and opportunity for every single american. No matter the circumstances they were born into or whatever and like dell to life dealt you. Had anate and the house chance to do one simple act to live up to that promise by extending a lifeline to 1. 3 million jobless americans. 1. 3 million americans who through no fault of their own who want to work, who need to work, and are diligently looking for work. They were denied this lifeline, this basic lifeline they keep them afloat. For no reason but Politics Democrats and republicans may well have honest disagreements on the best way to grow our economy and create jobs for americans that are ready to and willing to work. Be able to greet to agree on a core principle. We should stand by those who are struggling and never leave anyone out in the cold. All too often this is exactly what happens in washington. For reasons most would find inexcusable. It is the same old political game being played with food stamps. The house of representatives would like to cut 40 billion over 10 years. Believeld have us all that they are cutting ways to cut fraud, abuse, and a free rides on the taxpayers dime, but the reality is when you are cutting food stamps, you were just taking food off the table of families in this country. Taking food out of the mouths of hungry children. Taking food away from seniors who are on fixed incomes. For veterans who gave their lives for this country and everything for this country who are at a time of need. That is who you are taking food away from. Because all wery fromm the underside the other side is that those on government assistance are somehow scamming the system or are lazy. I have never met a lazy child who is hungry. I have never met one man or woman who is on Unemployment Benefits or who needs food stamps who wants to be there. They dont want to be there. They would prefer to be working, providing for the children, beating the children feeding their children. I have never met a mother whose children are well fed who was on food stamps. On top of this economic hardships, a lot of these families it is a loss of confidence and dignity. The motivation they need to work as hard as they can to find a new job and to regain that stability that the family needs. That is what the 1. 3 million americans are fighting for a job. An opportunity to work. This assistance is meant for them as their safety net. When politicians attack those receiving government assistance, they are not attacking the nameless and the faceless, they are attacking our kids, our seniors, our veterans when given so much. Who have given so much. It is not who we are as americans. Andre all in this together we have to create the federal policies that reflect those core values. I know we will hear a lot of politicians finding a new sense of compassion over the weeks and months ahead. When you look at their policies, they fall short of those words. We see policies that tradeoff cutting Food Assistance to families that needed to protect billions of dollars of profits to drink companies that do not need those profits. If you look at the policies, there was not apparent in america who does not know that Early Childhood education is the difference between their child reaching their full potential and not. You will see policies that are designed to cut medicaid. What is medicaid . It is access to health care to those who need it most. Simply put, these are not the priority of a nation that the pills as moral obligation to those who need help. These are the policies of the nation that does what we can to support americans who have fallen on hard times. Children and families who are hurting and hungry need more than a slogan so we should at least agree on this. Lets do more than just find the right way to talk about it. Lets actually look at democrats and republicans for policies that focus on our bounties and protect those who are struggling to make ends meet. I have traveled around my state of new york and the stories of struggle have not stopped. Parents are working their hardest to get by and provide for their kids but the reality is that seems think things seem to be working against them. For all those that have been lifted up since lbj took poverty had on, the fact is inequality has come to record levels. Affordability is slipping away. Seniors are working longer hours for less money. To the basic American Values that we have reported work in this country, the real value of workers wages is on the decline. Families are having a tough time as a result. All along the American Dream has not changed. We still all as americans dream of getting an education, providing for our families, raising our kids, hang for college, and making sure we have money for retirement. The rules of earning the American Dream have changed. Tools that all but guarantee our parents and our grandparents are placed in the middle class will not cut it today. The world has changed in our economy has changed. Most importantly, the American Family in the face of the American Workforce has changed. That is where i see the greatest potential. A middleclass, and opportunity for all those fighting to make it there. The new faces of our workforce over the last decade are now women. Women are increasingly the new family breadwinners. Women are the primary wage earners for a growing share of homes. Familiesonly 11 of on the mother being relied for her wages to provide for the kids. Today, that is 40 . 40 of wage earners in america are mothers were the primary wage earners to provide for their kids. 40 of the families with children under 18 the light only on the mother to pay the bills. Make those tough choices at the Kitchen Table and feed their kids. You wouldnt know that by looking at American Workplace policies today. They are stuck in the past. Congress and state capitals across the country simply have failed to keep pace with the new economy and the modern American Workplace. The key to creating a growing economy and the key to an american middle class is women. Without a doubt, if given a fair shot, women will be the ones who ignite this economy and lead america to the revival of the middle class. That is what i want to focus on. It is called the American Opportunity agenda. It is a set of five basic principles that will modernize the American Workplace that empower women and families and give them the chance to earn their way and get ahead into the economy. Their full potential and reflect the values of our nation. First, to build or american middle class relies on keeping everyone that i want to be in the workplace in the workplace earning a paycheck. This is a situation that many in this room have faced. For anyone that has ever had a new baby or a sick Family Member or a dying map a dying mother or father that need care, you know what that feeling is like when you have to make a choice between providing for your family and staying in the workplace were caring for your loved one at home. Choosing between their loved one and your career is a choice that no person should have to make. This is a choice that is happening every single day and more often than not, it is the woman who will choose to leave the workforce to care for that Family Member. When they do they will earn less income, they will miss out on raises and promotions, they will lose out on retirement benefits. This consent women behind. It risks their future success and risk the stability of their own family. It can also hurt businesses. Todays lack of paid family medical leave keep some of our most highly skilled, best trained, hardest workers out of the workforce. Democrats and republicans should be able to agree. The strongest asset is our people. We should change our policies to reflect that and give working parents a fair shot. The family and medical leave act we have today basically provides for unpaid leave. Job protected leave for Serious Health events. Only about half of our workforce actually qualifies for that and many more, given that opportunity, cannot afford to take the time off. Congress can and should do much more to support these workers and strengthen our economy by expanding paid family medical leave. Under my bill, we would create a selffunded paid medical leave program. It does not have one dime to the deficit. Based on successful state models, it works by establishing an independent trust Fund Supported by both the employee and the employer. Contributions of a small amount in their wages. It is an earned benefit that would make paid leave available to every working american no matter how big your company is. A Small Business or big business, whether youre a fulltime or parttime. The cost is about the cost of a cup of coffee per week. When a young parent needs to care for the newborn it should not come down to outdated policies that lets her boss decide how much time she could take off, how much time it will take her to get back on her feet. With that decision perhaps affecting the fate of her career. Would anyone of us need time to care for a dying Family Member, sacrificenot have to our job in future to do what we think is right. Hasfamily medical leave act bipartisan support so there is no reason why democrats and republicans cannot come together and support it. Let me give you one reallife example. For those who desperately want to reduce the roles of those on government assistance, this is a great way to do it. I have an employee. She was a single mom working as a waitress. She was working 40 hours a week earning two dollars an hour plus tips. She was able to bring home the 700 a week or about 24,000 a year. That is a few thousand dollars above the poverty line. When she got pregnant she had no Health Care Benefits from her employer so she enrolled in medicaid. When she was about to have her baby, she knew she cannot afford the hospital bills so she had to quit her job. Because she was able to be on medicaid, that covered her hospital expenses him about because her employer gave her no vacation or sick days and no paid leave, she was not able to have her time with her infant at home so she had to quit her job. She enrolled in food stamps. This is a woman who was working fulltime basically on the edge of poverty and could not provide for her kids. If she had paid family medical leave in that job she couldve stayed at her job, half the time she needed, and had the benefits that wouldve protected her and her family. We also have to work on things as simple as raising the minimum wage. When we are talking about lowwage workers, most people do not understand not only the prevalence of minimumwage workers but also how hardhit they are. Did you know that at all our minimumwage earners 64 of them are women. If youre working 40 hours a week on minimum wage, you earning you earning 15,000 a year. We are saying as a country that is always said we reward work and if you work hard you will make it to the middle class, that is not true. Working 40 hours a week and on minimum wage, you are basically earning 200 a week. Imagine what the what it is like to live with that here. I have an example for you. She works at union station. She has been working as a janitor for 20 years there. She never has a sick day or vacation day. She has no benefits. To work at the same job for 20 years and still be earning 8. 75 an hour with no benefits does not sound right. She is about to retire. She does not know how she will because earning so little, she was able to say very little. Hardworking people like her are not looking for a handout. He does want to work hard every day and provide for the family and have some hope that they too can be able to see the American Dream. Under the bill we are working on in the senate, it would give her a raise. To get 10. 10 an hour. Is one step closer to getting out of poverty and moving into the middle class. Raising the minimum wage would americans, 17n million women, many women with children just like her. Immediatelymothers would be able to do more to support their families and put that money right back into the economy. Raising the minimum wage is also good for business. Gdpncrease would raise her over the course of three years but those increased earnings which means increased spending on household goods, food, clothing. With that added activity to our economy, we can create up to 140,000 new jobs. The next issue that i feel very passionate about that i think would make a big difference for working moms is understanding the need for Affordable Care childcare. More women are going back to work sooner after having a child creating a much greater demand for affordable childcare. Aboutst of childcare is 6,007 a year. Just about the same amount an average family spends on groceries. If you cannot afford childcare as many middleclass families cannot, and you dont have a family option, the choice to a left with is to leave your job and stay at home. If you just think about the numbers again lets say the average for an infant is about 10,000 a year. You are a minimumwage earner. How will you afford childcare . can a garden does not start until five so you have no option before that. Imagine what you do as a single mom appeared 17 million of those minimumwage earners are women. You look for informal care. You look for your mother or a lady down the street or someone in your building. What happens if your informer giver care giver is sick . You miss work. You will probably get fired. You lose out on every bit of Economic Opportunity you have because it there is no affordable day care option. Just as important we need universal prek. Thatould focus on the fact when children have a chance to have Early Childhood education, they are able to reach their potential. High quality, Early Learning lead to strong, cognitive, emotional development. Key skill that every child in america needs. Any Childhood Development expert would tell you the first five years of a childs life is a window we have to give the most essential skills for success. For millions of families struggling, this is a chance they will never get. Through no fault of their own and no other reason, their families were born into a life of less opportunity. The block to live much not the term and the success of the life you will have. That is why we need to make these investments today to bring equality affordable prek to every child in america. This will give every child the chances are and to make sure their hard work takes them where they want to go. Every dollar you invest in Early Childhood education generates up to 11 an economic benefit brought to light throughout the life of the child. It is important for overall Economy Today when children have it means morek, working mothers can stay in the workforce and stay on a path to advance their careers. That is good for the whole economy. Critics will say that our deficit we cannot afford this. I agree we have to do more to get our deficit under control but every budget that we write is about choices. They are about our priorities. They are about who we fight for. We are competing with countries and markets in every corner of the world, we cannot afford to lose this. When we close our doors to Early Childhood education, we risk a future engineer, scientist, or dr. Becca make the or doctor that could make the next breakthrough. It is the best thing we can do to propel kids out of poverty. We should invest in our children. Is last piece of my proposal the most obvious. Equal pay for equal work. The promise was made 50 years ago which continues to be broken every single day in this country. Today women make up more than half of the American Population and nearly half of our workforce. Women are out earning men and our growing share of the primary household orders but still to this day, men are out earning women. On average a woman earns . 77 on every dollar a man earns and even less for women of color. African american women earn . 69 on the dollar, martinez earned . 68 on the dollar lationnos earn . 68 on the dollar. How can they get ahead if they are shortchanged every month . K if you want to have a growing economy, simply pay women fairly for the work they are doing. It is that simple. It is a huge economic engine. If you pay it is just plain economic sense. Let me conclude. 50 years into the war on poverty with the deck stacked against too many in this country. Lets commit to the American Dream. It does not matter where you start. Hard work pays off. You can earn your future. A dream that for too long has been out of reach for too many people. Lets see what we can